The Superficial Change
by Comtesse-Dynamite
Summary: Amy wants to be more special. She is sick of always being receded into the background when Penny and Bernadette are around. It's time for a change, superficially of course. What will Sheldon think of it?
1. Chapter 1

**I decided to write a couple of One-shots and short stories. This one is again about Amy and Sheldon featuring the other characters as well. This one might be OOC, it might be not. Tell me what you think of it. Reviews, please?**

The superficial change

Part 1:

Penny was always considered to be the glamorous and bright smiling girl next door. Bernadette was referred to as the best choice Howard could have made. But what was Amy's role in the women's trio? She was simply Sheldon's girlfriend. She was the one who by accident faltered in their life. A gag initiated by Raj and Howard. The neurobiologist wasn't happy with that definition. She wanted to play an important part of the gang as well. She wanted to achieve a special position or at least be on an equal footing with her good-looking besties.

It was time to make a change, superficially of course. "Amy, are you sure you want to change your style? I mean that is your personality, your unmistakable appearance" Penny said. They were sitting on the turquoise couch in her apartment. Penny was busy with painting her nails and was barley noticing Amy's rant but this idea made her stop. "I know that it became some kind of trademark. It's just that I don't feel comfortable anymore. I'm always receded into the background when standing next to you and Bernadette. You two score with immaculate skin, neat outfits and exceptional hairstyles. I on the other hand am always wearing these worn out skirts and striped cardigans" she took off her jacket as if she tried to relieve herself from a great burden. "Sometimes the inner feelings are more important than your look" comforted Penny. "Stop telling me this story! What is wrong with an intelligent and at the same time beautiful girl?" Amy insisted. "Why do you want to change? Did Sheldon mention something?" her best friend asked. She could already imagine the answer. "No, not at all! But he might pay me more attention if I looked more ladylike. I don't know, a relationship with him is a real challenge" she sighted and glanced over to Penny. "Are you going to help me?" she begged with her sad eyes. "You know what! Let's head to the mall" although her friend wasn't convinced at all with this plan she decided to support her. Penny closed the little bottle with light blue nail polish and fetched her purse. "Mission: New Amy – Accepted!" They left her apartment.

Leonard was rummaging around in a big box. He stopped for a moment to greet Penny and Amy. "Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked. "She wants to be made" his neighbour laughed and pulled Amy downstairs. Leonard couldn't even react to the news but he felt a little bit insecure if Amy was doing the right thing. After all Sheldon wouldn't care for a change. He was happy with her personality and abilities. Maybe he wouldn't even remark that Amy got a different style. Was it to please him? Or did she just want to keep up with Penny and Bernadette? There was nothing to compensate in his eyes.

"We should plan something for tonight" Amy suggested. She was sitting in a leathern swivel chair in front of a giant mirror. "You mean like a girls sleepover?" Penny wondered while browsing through a haircut booklet. "No, more special. We could invite the boys to get a drink with us" her friend replied. She had already decided what hairstyle would suit her best. "I'm going for wavy hair. Oh, oh and I want a really exaggerated make up, like Cleopatra had it. You know with the black lines going almost back to the ears" she focused on her reflection. Soon this frumpy girl would turn into a splendid and breathtaking young lady. "What a great idea" Penny put up a fake smile. She was happy for Amy who finally broke out but at the same time she felt sorry for her because Sheldon wouldn't ever appreciate this presentation.

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and…" Amy was dancing around. The hairdresser did a great job. Her hair looked perfect, each strand of her hair shimmered in the flashy light of the ceiling lamp. "You look like an Egyptian Goddess" Penny brought her the ideal outfit for this unforgettable evening. It consisted of a long black robe combined with a golden jacket. She would definitely be the attraction of the night. Her blonde friend and Bernadette would look old next to her. Amy had a body that won't quit.

"Leonard, it's Halo night" Sheldon yammered. "Stop lolling about and put on your jacket. We got an invitation from the girls" he was very excited. It has been months ago when Penny last suggested him to hang out together. Maybe he would get a second chance; he didn't want it to get spoiled by his lunatic roommate. "Who's coming?" the physicist asked. "As far as I know there will be Penny, of course and Amy, Bernadette, Howard as well as Raj" Leonard replied. "Why do we have to turn our schedule upside down? I need to add a new rule to the relationship agreement: If the obligatory date night already came about there is no reason for another meeting" Sheldon took out a pen from the car storage and wrote down this thought.

"Com'on don't be such a spoilsport. It's fine to have fun from time to time. Besides you like to spend hours and hours chatting with Amy, why can't you overcome your habits and meet her more often?" His buddy pat Sheldon's back.

"It is not the same. My conversations with Amy Farrah Fowler are on high-level. We don't like it to be disturbed by feeble-minded contributions from your part."

"Amy, they're coming" Penny, Bernadette, Howard and Raj welcomed their mates. Bernadette was nervously fidgeting around. She couldn't wait to see the speechless expressions on the men's faces when Amy would enter the dining room.

"May I introduce you to the new and past all recognition Amy" Penny waved her arms direction curtain. From behind it appeared two patent-leather high-heels followed by a stunning, pepped up and gorgeous looking brunette. Her eyes were shining, her lips glossy with a touch of rosé. Howard was standing gaping, not believing that this was the woman he had chosen to become Sheldon's companion. "I say, you look enchanting" Leonard went a step closer to Amy and kissed her hand. "Thank you very much, guys. It means a lot to me" she glanced over to Sheldon, longingly waiting for his reaction.

He couldn't even come up with a weary smile. "That should be better than Halo night? That is the reason why you dragged me into this restaurant when there's an amazing role-playing game waiting for us?" he was indignant. "Oh boy, what a waste of time" he added and turned around. "Sheldon, don't you want to tell her how beautiful she looks?" Howard gnashed while barring his way. Sheldon stared at him. "There's something called self-awareness."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2:

Sheldon took a seat in Leonard's car. Did he just make a mistake? No, he didn't think so. Or was he way too rude to Amy Farrah Fowler, the only woman who understood him and who shared the same unusual interests? He wondered how she felt now, whether she was crying or whether she could cope with his reserved reaction.

Howard knocked on the car window and asked his buddy to let it down. Sheldon pressed the button next to him.

"Seriously, Sheldon? That's how you treat your girlfriend?" the small man leaned into the car while supporting his weight on the window.

The theoretical physicist didn't answer. He was staring into the dark and endless night.

"This should have been a surprise especially for you" Howard explained.

"Could you please drive me home? Or if you have better things to do, could you please ask Leonard to drive me home?" Sheldon replied. Howard rolled his eyes. Making conversation with Sheldon was a real Sisyphean task; he couldn't face the fact that he was wrong for a change. But Howard and the others were tired of his behaviour and tired of playing his moralizer. The engineer went inside. Some minutes later Leonard left the building, sat next to Sheldon, didn't say a word and drove him back to their apartment.

"Good night" his roommate whispered without looking at him. He disappeared in his bedroom without switching on the lights.

Sheldon was lying in his bed. He wasn't capable of forming any thought. He tried to concentrate on physical formula, drawing them on his imaginary white board. No chance, at the end of every train of thought was Amy. She was stuck in his head, an immense power, with which he had to deal which he couldn't exclude.

Knock, knock, knock. "Leonard!" Knock, knock, knock. "Leonard!" Knock, knock, knock. "Leonard!"

"It's open" his roommate yelled from inside.

Sheldon entered, looking ashamed on the floor. "You should ventilate your bed-chamber" was the first thing he said.

"Anything else?" Leonard was slightly annoyed but at the same time surprised to see Sheldon.

"I assume we need to talk?"

"Absolutely, Sheldon. Did you come up with this idea? A social progress, heh?" Leonard put on his glasses and faced his friend.

"As I dispose over outstanding knowledge in the theoretical and scientific fields I might as well start to develop a social understanding, step by step" Sheldon replied.

"I think that I found out what went wrong earlier on this evening" he closed his eyes. "I upset Amy, right?" he was waiting for Leonard to confirm his thesis. His friend nodded and sat up.

"You should have paid her more attention. I mean she looked so beautiful and you didn't even greet her. That was your first mistake."

"Don't call it a mistake, call it a misinterpretation instead. At least it doesn't sound so incorrect" Sheldon instructed.

There was a moment of silence, and then he continued his considerations.

"Would it have been better if I told her how good she was looking although I don't care at all about her appearance?" he wondered. Leonard nodded again.

"Would it have been better if I acted as if I were happy about her change and proud of her intention?"

Again Leonard nodded.

"But you don't have to tell me all this stuff. Go! Find her and repeat the exact same words" his friend answered. Sheldon looked at him, irritated.

"How do you mean the exact same words? I asked you questions and talked about her in the third person singular. This might confuse her even more, she might come up with the absurd idea of me having someone else" he suggested.

Leonard refrained from laughing. There was no other woman in the whole universe who would withstand Sheldon's temperament and qualities, except for Amy.

"I mean go and tell her what you feel. Why don't you care if she looks beautiful or not? Because…"

"…because no matter how messy her hair is, no matter how outworn her clothes are, she accepted me the way I am. She is at the same level, intellectually, linguistically and exceptionally" Sheldon finished the sentence. Then he stood up, stumbled almost over Leonard's smoking and ran outside the apartment.

But how should he get there? Amy's flat wasn't around the corner. He couldn't ask Leonard to drive him; he had to solve this conflict on his own. So he decided to go for a walk, the cold breeze would refresh his mind. On the way to his girlfriend he could mentally list all points he wanted to tell her.

A gust pushed him forward. He started to run, he didn't know why but it gave him the feeling of being a superhero who's about to face his biggest challenge. Sheldon didn't perceive anything around him; he was heading towards Amy's flat. Soon he would reach it, reach the final level, the end boss. Funny, how his brain started to compare his relationship with Amy to a virtual action game.

He knocked three times, his usual habit. There was a moment of endless silence until he could hear footsteps coming closer to the door. "Who is it?" Amy asked. Her voice sounded tearfully.

"It's me Sheldon" the physicist replied, hoping that she would open the door and receive him. But Amy didn't move.

"What do you want? Just leave me alone" she had pulled herself together, trying to make a strong impression. She didn't want to show how hurt she was. Sheldon wouldn't care anyway.

"Please, let me in. We need to talk?"

"I can't think of any subject that asks for conversation. Unless you would like to hold a speech about self-awareness" it was a little bit provocative and achieved the reaction she had expected.

"No, I don't want to hold a speech about self-awareness, at least not now" Sheldon admitted.

"Then what else asks for my attention?"

"Don't keep me in suspense" Sheldon got quite nervous. He was afraid of losing his courage. Eventually Amy would let him in. "Please, take a seat" Sheldon nodded and sat down on the left side of the couch. Music was playing from the kitchen radio. He knew this song. "I need a hero" by Bonnie Taylor. Amy had explained to him why she liked this song more than any other. It gave her the strength to go on in life, and the certainty that there once would be a man perfectly suiting her needs. She hadn't listened to it for a long time but the happening earlier on had made her insecure.

She sat down next to her boyfriend. He didn't know how to start. It seemed so easy when he had unburdened his heart to Leonard. But now, facing the reddened eyes of Amy so disappointed and hurt all he had made up in his made was slowly fading away. He took a deep breath and addressed the brunette.

"Amy", a pause. "Amy, I'm sorry for what happened this evening. I was a selfish and arrogant whatever." She stopped sobbing and grabbed him by the hand. "Yes?"

"Let me finish" he said. "Right now you look like a homeless person, your hair is a mess and your make-up is smeared all over your face. But it doesn't matter, you're still my girlfriend, I need you and there is no one else I could imagine to call my partner. I don't care whether you look like an Egyptian Pharaoh or like a film star or like a wallflower. I don't care if your lips are red as blood and your nails decorated with little sparkles although it somehow remind me of Star Trek, you know featuring Will Wheaton. It's the person behind this masquerade I start to like" he waited for a reaction.

"You like me?" Amy was more than surprised. She had never expected to hear that coming from Sheldon's mouth. "Again, let me finish" he came a few inches closer. "Amy Farrah Fowler, you're a precious addition to my already fascinating and admirable life which I wish everyone could have. Our chats, video session and occasional meetings make me a happy man, I couldn't think of anyone else occupying this position, except for Spock or Nimoy of course who unfortunately are fictive characters. I just wanted to tell you that no matter how messy your hair is" there it was again, what a brilliant mind he had "no matter how outworn her clothes are, she accepted me the way I am. She is at the same level, intellectually, linguistically and exceptionally."

There was a moment of silence. "Oh, Sheldon. This was the most beautiful thing someone ever told me. I forgive you. I always thought you would find me more attractive if I looked like Penny with the golden locks or like Bernadette with her cute smile" she was so close to his face that they could feel each others breathe on their skin.

What would happen now? He felt the urge to kiss her lips which was quite silly of him not knowing whether she was sick or not. Amy had recognized his intention and moved towards him. They kissed, just once, just very short. That's when Sheldon realized what he would lose with his inattentive and careless behaviour. And that's when Amy realized that there isn't a superficial change needed, in Sheldon's eyes she was and would always be a princess.

"A princess? How dare you think I'm developing such childish thoughts? I'm an intellectual, I've got two doctor titles" Sheldon intervened.

"Oh, please forgive me Dr. Cooper. It was simply to show the readers that you both learned from the situation" the author replied.

"I do have to set up a couple of new rules. As far as my girlfriend or I are concerned the author shall only make use of academic writing" he said in a strict tone.

"I got it. Can I finish this fanfiction now?"

"You may" the physicist answered.

THE END


End file.
